More

I gobbled up all books, trainings, and courses I could find on how to achieve more, be more rich, have more friends, have more time, have more energy, be more smart, be more productive.

Mass media leaned in and inspired me to be MORE – it kept telling me I need to travel more, read more books, experience more food, have more start-ups, make more investments, and buy more stuff.

I am part of generation MORE. My generation has more affluence and connections and resources than the generations before mine.

And yet, despite having much MORE, my generation is also never satisfied. We keep wanting MORE.

We jump from one high to another. From one adventure to another. From one purchase to another. From one job to another. From one attention-seeking social media post to another. All this time, asking for ‘What MORE can I get?’

But maybe, just maybe, the right question to ask should be, ‘Why do I even need to have MORE?’

For many years, MORE is a ladder I’ve been climbing. And I realized it’s a ladder that’s set against the wrong wall.

I have always WANTED MORE. But what I actually NEEDED was LESS.

To have LESS worries. To have LESS concern about what other people think. To feel LESS pressure that my life has to be awesome to be worth living.

To have LESS stress. To have LESS insecurities and accept myself for who I am. To have LESS distractions like social media. To have LESS pride and ego. To have LESS need to be honored, or respected, or admired. To want LESS things. To have LESS belief that society’s definition of success is how I should measure myself.

And by choosing LESS, I realized I can actually have MORE. Not MORE of everything, but MORE of what’s truly important to me – the love of family, the blessing of health, and the dignity of work. More time, more energy, and more attention to the people and things that actually matter.

For now, I’m intentionally letting go of the internal pressure to be an entrepreneur. I am letting go of the various new skills I want to learn this year – and focus instead on mastering what I already have. I am choosing to spend less time with non-family members – so I can have more time for family. I am choosing to spend less time obsessing about investments and finances – and just give it the bare minimum time required to have a secure future.

By going for LESS in the last couple of weeks, I find myself much lighter, much clearer, more appreciative, more motivated, and more at peace. In a word, joyful.

Each December for the past 20+ years, I have always made plans about what I want to accomplish the coming year. And this year started in the same way – with me wanting to achieve MORE than the previous year….until I realized I should stop wanting MORE. And focus instead on needing LESS.

Will it work? Will I be better off by end of year? Will I be better off in 10 years? Honestly, I don’t know. And surprisingly, I don’t seem to care. I am done climbing the MORE ladder. It’s time to go for LESS and discover peace and joy instead.